Accessories

FPS Russia has a lot of fun with a fully-automatic Glock 17 and a 100-round drum magazine. There’s also some incendiary ammo that goes hot too soon.

Manufacturers like S&W, Ruger, Charter Arms, and Taurus all think combining a late 19th century design — a revolver — with a relatively modern laser sight is a great idea. We think it can be a good pairing, too. Last year we tested the S&W Bodyguard, which comes from the factory with an Insight laser sight installed, and gave the combo a high grade. For those of us who already carry 38 Special revolvers, we wanted to compare options to retrofit our snubnose five-shooters with a laser sight. Knowing many CCW permit holders drop their J-frames in a pants or coat pocket unholstered or carry them in a holster, we wanted to see how the Crimson Trace (CTC) and LaserMax (LM) would perform in a variety of day-to-day carry scenarios as well as at the range.

The CTC and LM laser sights, like all laser sights, are regulated by the FDA as Class IIIa devices. They are not toys. Laser-sight manufacturers instruct buyers to attach a tiny warning label on their firearm after installing the laser sight unit, since laser light can damage the retina of the eyes. You will note that ordinary laser pointers also carry a tiny warning label, too.

Our retrofit candidate was a Model 637 Chief's Special Airweight, which has been in production off and on since 1991. It has an exposed hammer and is chambered in .38 Special +P. The 637 is light weight and has a soft rubber grip.

Our testing consisted of five phases: ease of installation, a drop test from a height of 36 inches onto a piece of plywood on a concrete floor, freezing the lasers to -4F, fitting with different holster types, and finally live-fire testing. We dispensed with our usual water-immersion test since the lasers are labeled only to be water resistant. Drop the laser sight in water or get caught in a rain shower, and you will need to resort to Plan B and use the revolver's iron sights.

Suffice to say all three laser sights passed the drop test without losing zero. The cold has a way of negatively impacting mechanisms, but buttons on all three laser units functioned even after being placed in freezer. We also tested the lasers with an unloaded revolver in dark and brightly lit environments. Users should also be aware that we are surrounded by reflective surfaces outside and inside our homes — glass, vehicle bodies, TV and computer screens, mirrors — that will reflect a laser back and could disorient you. There is also no visible beam per se, unless the beam has something to reflect off, such as smoke or fog. Across a bedroom in the darkness, all three lasers projected a red spot on a potential target. In the dark, the aiming spot is easy to see unless aimed on a reflective surface when one dot can look like many dots. In bright sunlight the aiming dots were much harder to see, and at times our shooters needed to resort to using iron sights to find the dot. Holding the 637 in a two-handed grip at belt buckle height, we were able to easily hit the center circle of an IDPA-style target at 12 yards with all three laser sights. Here's what else our retrofit test determined.

A shopping trip to the mall inspired this gunsmith to make a better finishing set up in his shop. Here’s how he did it.

Checkering a stock is an art unto itself, and it requires hands-on experience to learn it. But we can show you some tools to use.

A poster on the Gun Tests Facebook page asked: 'Does Gun Tests have prior articles regarding holsters for CCW carry of a full size 1911 style pistol? I think a number of your readers are willing to accept the bulk in exchange for the benefits of a carrying a full-size .45 (such as the ability to shoot it more accurately under stress.)' The Gun Tests page architecture doesn't support a forum-like discussion, so we created this open thread for GunReporters to jump in and comment. Carry On!

Beating the Reaper!, Vol. 1: Trauma Medicine for the CCW Operator is directed toward the “Average Joe” who may have never taken a first-aid class, and certainly doesn’t consider himself to be a medically trained special operator. Instead, he is someone who realizes that, just as with his shooting skills, he needs to have skill to help save someone’s life, perhaps his own, in the aftermath of shooting or other traumatic event. He’s the “CCW Operator” who doesn’t have a team medic nearby. He must show the same self-reliance that got him through the initial incident.

We recently had the opportunity to test a sighting device from Insight Technology that allows you consolidate multiple sighting options in a single, lightweight package. The ISM-V (Integral Sighting Module- Visible) is designed particularly for close quarter, dynamic shooting situations.

At the recent Media Range Day at the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, video producer J T Woodard goes in front of the camera to set up a video brief on Maglula Ltd. magazine loaders and unloaders.

Holster manufacturer CrossBreed Holsters, LLC has introduced a new OWB product for 2012, the SuperSlide.

More than 90 percent of the sportsmen included in a recent online survey said they bought at least one camouflage item in 2011.

Diamond-abrasive hand files and hones easily cut hard materials when other metalworking implements can’t do the job.

Colt’s has teamed up with Crimson Trace Corporation to offer its first-ever Lasergrips, grip-integrated laser sights emblazoned with the Colt logo, which are now standard on the Colt New Agent pistol.